issue 5.1 YOUR FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE n MEDICAL ULTRASOUND

magazine

A f east(Diabetes-Friendly) fit

for a king Visit

OCtOBER 13-28 www.homearama.tv

At its core, EVMS exists and thrives because of one thing: community. We’re here because the people in this region needed better access to health care, and we strive every day to meet The EVMS Hampton Roads’ growing needs by teaching new physicians and health professionals, pushing Healthy the scientific envelope in our labs and providing high-quality care to more than 1,000 patients House every day. Built by L.R. HiLL Custom Builders Supporting the EVMS Fund issue 5.1

magazine upcoming events October 13-28 Fall 2012 Homearama Make plans to visit the EVMS Healthy House at this year's fall Homearama event at East Beach in Norfolk. Tour the home and take part in a variety of healthy activities. Visit www.Homearama.TV. November 17 Diabetes Awareness Night with the Norfolk Admirals Enjoy a night of fast-paced action and show your support for the Strelitz Diabetes Center at EVMS EVMS staffs the only Level 1 trauma center in Eating healthy doesn’t mean suffering through Medical ultrasound comes of age. during the second annual the region. a dull diet. night of hockey at the Norfolk Scope. Diabetes staff will be on hand to offer free diabetes screenings. Tickets are only $11 each; a portion of ticket sales benefit EVMS features diabetes research. To reserve your tickets, visit www.evms. 16 Your first line of defense edu/admirals. When life hangs in the balance, the EVMS surgeons staffing Sentara Norfolk General Hospital's Level 1 trauma center, answer the call 24 hours a day, 365 November 29 days a year. EVMS Strelitz Diabetes Center Opening Celebrate the opening of 22 A (diabetes friendly) feast fit for a king the newly renovated center Eating healthy doesn't have to mean sacrificing taste. Executive Chef Edward Storey of Bardo Edibles + Elixirs and Dietician Phyllis Woodson of the EVMS that offers cutting-edge care Strelitz Diabetes Center, prepare a meal so delectable, you'll forget that its good supported by research and for you, too. patient education. Tour the new space and interact with scientists and physicians. 30 Is the stethoscope about to become extinct? For more information, visit EVMS is taking a leadership role in advancing the everyday use www.evms.edu/magazine. of ultrasound and preparing the health-care workforce of tomorrow to take advantage of this increasing portable and affordable technology.

EVMS MagazinE issue 5.1 www.evms.edu 3 OUR VISION: Eastern Virginia Medical School will be recognized as the most community-oriented medical school in the nation. magazine issue 5.1

President Harry T. Lester Provost and dean Richard V. Homan, MD senior vice President & chief of staff Claudia E. Keenan editors Vincent Rhodes Editor-in-Chief, Director of Marketing & Communications Blair Barbieri account Executive Linda Cobb Copy Editor Doug gardner news Director Daniel Shuman assistant Director of Marketing 6 8 10 12 34 43 & Communications GraPhic desiGn John Comerford, Joy Ellinor art Directors Vickie Carper, Tamara Potter, departments Cammi Mosiman 6 Vital Stats graphic Designers editoriaL Board The EVMS Jones Institute Melissa Lang Director of alumni Relations 7 News + Notes Connie McKenzie President Lester named region’s First Citizen EVMS and William Director of Development & Mary to explore possible merger Richard Zweifler, MD, Marsha Jennings appointed Chair of Neurology Board elects first female rector Director of Health Services Marketing CONRAD makes leadership change Student outreach heads Justin Crutchfield, natalie Semmler Office of Marketing & Communications to Haiti EVMS and Anthem Foundation team to battle diabetes Serena amerson, Denise Cohan, New student orientation EVMS enjoys $3.5 million boost in Megan Christopher, ashley gentry, Dena Liston state support Graduates to carry on EVMS’ community-oriented Office of Development mission ‘Top Docs’ Grant comes just in time for surge in new contriBUtors HIV patients WHRO honors Otolaryngology Chair EVMS Jennifer Francis physician-scientist garners grant to study polio vaccines Friday alison Johnson Lauren Keim the 13th Student group wins award Employers honored with Laura neff-Henderson BIB awards EVMS partners with JDRF Book reviews alex Strauss 34 Alumni Connections Joy Vann EVMS Magazine is published three times a year. Copies are available EVMS alum assumes command of USNS Comfort’s Medical on campus, in doctors’ offices and by mail. To request a copy or share Treatment Facility EVMS grad serves veterans in Washington news, please contact Doug gardner, news Director, 757.446.7070 or Following the family path to medicine Class notes [email protected]. 32 Your Support follow us Capital Campaign draws strong support ahead of year-end finale FACEBook www.facebook.com EVMSedu Compassion a driving force for Glennan Center benefactor 2012 EVMS Fund supports key needs across campus Local TWITTER www.twitter.com/EVMSedu family supports diabetes research FlICkR 41 Your Health www.flickr.com/evms Helping you breathe easier You TuBE www.youtube.com/EasternVaMedSchool

42 In Focus RSS feeds.feedburner.com/evms

4 EVMS MagazinE issue 5.1 www.evms.edu fromthePresident

In 1973, community leaders celebrated the establishment of EVMS as an example of regional cooperation at its best. Cities throughout Southeastern Virginia supported the effort and backed it up with municipal contributions. Fast-forward nearly 40 years. EVMS once again is the focus of a region-wide discussion. The issue now is whether EVMS should become the William & Mary Health Sciences University. This is an exciting prospect, but not something to venture into lightly. The Boards at each school have agreed to entertain the question, and we have begun our due diligence. At this point, we don’t know how long the evaluation process will take. Any merger would need the approval of the legislature and the Governor. Stay tuned. As we examine our institutional affiliations, our faculty are busy with some key educational and clinical priorities. For instance, one group of scientists and physicians are preparing our students for the workplace of tomorrow. See why ultrasound may render the stethoscope obsolete (page 30). Another group of faculty provide the type of indispensable care that our founders must have hoped for. Go to page 16 to learn how EVMS trauma surgeons save lives daily in a cooperative venture with Sentara Healthcare. Finally, we asked the staff at Norfolk restaurant Bardo Edibles + Elixirs to come up with some diabetes-friendly fare for the holidays. Executive Chef Edward Storey worked with EVMS nutritionist Phyllis Woodson to develop the dishes, starting on page 22, that you can prepare for yourself. You may have noticed a new look for our magazine with this issue. What hasn’t changed is our commitment to sharing compelling stories and exciting news about our school of medicine and health professions. I hope you enjoy both the content and the new design. As always, thank you for your interest in and support of EVMS.

Sincerely, Harry T. Lester

evMs Board of visitors Anne B. Shumadine David A. Arias Eva Teig Hardy Robin D. Ray Theresa W. Whibley, MD Rector I.A. Barot, MD James J. Izard, II kenneth W. Stolle Richard C. Zoretic P. Ward Robinett Frank Batten, Jr. David T. lawson Bruce l. Thompson Vice Rector Derwin P. Gray, MD Christina W. Prillaman, MD Mark R. Warden evMs foUndation Board of trUstees

G. Robert Aston, Jr. R. Bruce Bradley Richard S. Glasser, Esq. Charles W. Moorman Stanley Waranch Chairman and President l.D. Britt, MD, MPH Robert C. Goodman, Jr., Esq. Priscilla Trinder Roady Wayne F. Wilbanks Vincent J. Mastracco, Jr., Esq. Charles P. Fletcher, DDS Edward l. Hamm, Jr. Thomas V. Rueger Treasurer The Honorable Paul D. Fraim Paul o. Hirschbiel, Jr. Toy D. Savage, Jr., Esq. Andrew S. Fine Thomas R. Frantz, Esq. B. Thomas Mansbach Alan l. Wagner, MD Secretary

EVMS MagazinE issue 5.1 www.evms.edu 5 vitalstats

The EVMS Jones Institute recently celebrated its 4,000 IVF birth. It takes a lot of time, energy and money to raise just one baby. Imagine raising all 4,000!

$28 million spent on Considering the trend in baby items like toys and popular names, if you wrote clothes in the first year. out all 4,000 names, odds are that Emily, Madison, Hannah, Jacob, Michael and Joshua would dominate the list. $1.2 million spent on baby food the first year.

5.6 million hours of lost sleep can be credited to those 4,000 little bundles of joy.

A total of 29.2 million diaper changes made by the On average, it takes two age of 2. minutes per diaper change for a total of three 40-hour work weeks for just one child. That’s a total of 24,000 40-hour work weeks for all of the babies.

These fun facts were compiled from http://www.happyworker. More than 2 million miles com/supermom/facts walked with babies in strollers On average, 1.3 million and — nearly five trips to the Some 488,000 hours loads of laundry or 21.2 http://thestir.cafemom.com/ moon and back! spent reading to newborns. million articles of clothing baby/6339/Babys_First_ washed per year. Year_Broken_Down

6 EVMS MagazinE issue 5.1 www.evms.edu news+notes

President Lester named region’s First Citizen

EVMS President Harry T. Lester is the 2012 First Citizen of Hampton Roads. President Lester was honored June 21 at the annual awards ceremony sponsored by LEAD Hampton Roads, a program of the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce. TowneBank President and EVMS Board of Trustees Chairman Robert Aston introduced Mr. Lester, depicting him as a humble leader with an incredible ability to inspire others to achieve great things. The bank Chairman and CEO Eastern Virginia Medical School President Harry T. Lester in the praised Mr. Lester for serving as a Edward E. Brickell Medical Sciences Library rotunda. catalyst for positive change and forging collaborations and strong relationships the Chrysler Museum, in particular, future,” Mr. Aston says. across organizational and geographical have made it possible for two of Mr. Lester began his affiliation with boundaries. Hampton Roads’ great institutions EVMS in 2003 as a member of the “His successful efforts to secure a to both thrive and create innovative Board of Visitors. He became President strong financial footing for EVMS and and sustainable initiatives for a bright in 2005. evMs and William & Mary to explore possible merger

The College of William & Mary and Eastern Virginia approval from the Governor and General Assembly will be Medical School announced in July that they have agreed to required. exclusively explore the feasibility of having EVMS become the President Harry T. Lester says, “The fact that one of the William & Mary Health Sciences University. Before a decision oldest, most prestigious colleges in the country would consider can be made by either W&M or EVMS, each must carefully affiliating with us speaks volumes about the groundbreaking investigate the implications of such a combination. work our faculty, staff and students are achieving every day. The Board of Visitors has directed that EVMS perform While we won’t know for some time how this will work out, due diligence in this regard, and it is not yet clear how long I think this is a tremendous compliment and an opportunity this process will take. If W&M and EVMS decide to proceed, worth exploring.”

FOLLOW OUR TWITTER FEED www.twitter.com/EVMSedu for news and links to everything EVMS.

EVMS MagazinE issue 5.1 www.evms.edu 7 nneewws+s+notnoteess

Richard Zweifler appointed Chair of Neurology Richard M. Zweifler, MD, has been appointed Chair of Neurology, effective August 1. Dr. Zweifler succeeds Thomas R. Pellegrino, MD, who held the post until his death in November 2011. “Dr. Zweifler has an outstanding reputation and is well-respected by his peers and colleagues,” says Provost and Dean Richard V. Homan, MD. Dr. Zweifler currently serves as Chief of Neurology Richard M. Zweifler, MD for Sentara Healthcare and has been a Professor of Neurology at EVMS since 2008. Dr. Zweifler received his MD from Tulane Medical School and completed residency training in neurology and a Anne B. Shumadine fellowship in cerebrovascular disease at the University of California in San Diego. He is board certified in neurology and vascular neurology and holds specialty certifications Board elects first female rector in neurosonology and neurosonology examination. in school’s history He joined EVMS after serving as Professor and Director of the Stroke Center at the Anne B. Shumadine has been elected Rector of the EVMS University of South Alabama. He serves on Board of Visitors, making her the first female to lead the board the Editorial Board of Frontiers in Stroke and as reviewer for journals including Neurology, in the institution’s history. Stroke and Headache. She was selected for the position in June in a unanimous vote following In addition to his membership in Alpha the resignation of Maurice A. Jones. Mr. Jones resigned from the board due Omega Alpha, the honor society for medicine, to his confirmation as Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing Dr. Zweifler has authored more than 80 and Urban Development. book chapters, manuscripts, abstracts and “There are many great, forward-looking leaders in our community, from peer-reviewed publications. He has actively all genders, races, religions and backgrounds, and I am confident I won’t participated in 20 National Institutes of be the last ‘first’ for this institution,” Mrs. Shumadine says. “EVMS is Health-funded research studies and received progressive and enlightened, and being rector is a privilege that I don’t take more than $3 million in external funding lightly.” for research in stroke and cerebrovascular Mrs. Shumadine will help lead the medical school as it grows its student diseases. body and faculty to tackle a growing national shortage of doctors and

8 EVMS MagazinE issue 5.1 www.evms.edu news+notes changes mandated by federal and state dr. doncel chosen to lead conrad health care reforms. “We must be nimble and ready to Gustavo F. Doncel, MD, PhD, formerly Scientific and Associate Director of address those changes and prepare CONRAD, has been chosen to lead the internationally known program at EVMS. He for the influx of new patients into our began his new role as Executive Director Aug. 1. system,” she says. “With the great Dr. Doncel follows Henry L. Gabelnick, PhD, one of the original CONRAD staff work that President Harry Lester has members and head of the organization for more than 20 years. Dr. Gabelnick is now done over the past eight years, and the a Senior Advisor to CONRAD. CONRAD facilitates the development of products experience and expertise that our new and methods to prevent conception and to halt the spread of sexually transmitted Dean Richard Homan brings to the diseases, in particular HIV/AIDS. campus, we are poised to take EVMS “Dr. Doncel is an internationally renowned, to the next level.” academic clinical scientist who has made The Board will be working with the major contributions to scientific research, Dean to re-think the curriculum to especially in the field of reproductive health prepare a robust learning experience and HIV/AIDS prevention,” says Alfred that incorporates the new way patients Z. Abuhamad, MD, Professor and Chair will experience health care, she says. of Obstetrics and Gynecology. CONRAD Mrs. Shumadine is a graduate of is a program of the EVMS Department of Wellesley College and the Marshall- Obstetrics and Gynecology. Wythe School of Law at the College Dr. Doncel joined the EVMS Department of William & Mary and is Chairman of Obstetrics and Gynecology in 1990. With and a Founder of Signature Financial his pioneering work on microbicides — which Services in Norfolk. protect women against sexually transmitted She serves on the Board of diseases — and sperm function inhibitors, Dr. the Chesapeake Bay Foundation Doncel laid the foundation for CONRAD’s Gustavo F. Doncel, MD, PhD and is a Trustee and Chair of the expansion into HIV and multipurpose prevention technologies. investment committee at Virginia Dr. Doncel is an accomplished researcher with skills that span basic and clinical Wesleyan College. Mrs. Shumadine’s science. He is currently the principal and co-principal investigator of grants totaling past associations include a former more than $138 million. Rectorship on the Board of Visitors He is a reviewer for the U.S. National Institutes of Health and the European of Old Dominion University, where Commission Directorate General for Research and Innovation, and an expert advisor she is currently a member of the ODU to the World Health Organization. He is also a member of scientific advisory boards Educational Foundation. She is also of several national and international research organizations. Dr. Doncel received the former President and Chairman of Dean’s Faculty Achievement Award from EVMS in 2009 and is the author of more the Board of the ACCESS College than 100 peer-reviewed scientific publications and several U.S. and international Foundation, a former Trustee of the patents on antimicrobial contraceptives and microbicides. Chrysler Museum of Art, and a past CONRAD was established in 1986 with federal funding from the U.S. Agency for member of the Business Leadership International Development. Originally focused solely on contraceptive development, Council of Wellesley College. CONRAD grew under Dr. Gabelnick’s direction to include an emphasis on disease In 2011, Mrs. Shumadine received prevention. the Citizen Lawyer award from the Dr. Gabelnick also broadened support for CONRAD to include funds from private William & Mary School of Law, was foundations. All told, CONRAD has attracted more than $400 million from public the recipient of the Barron F. Black and private sources. Community Builder Award from Dr. Gabelnick earned his undergraduate and master’s degrees at the Massachusetts the Hampton Roads Community Institute of Technology and a PhD in chemical engineering at Princeton. He spent 18 Foundation and was recognized years with the National Institutes of Health before joining CONRAD. by LEAD Hampton Roads with its “Under Dr. Gabelnick’s leadership, CONRAD played a leading role in improving Visionary Award for business leaders. reproductive health for women around the globe,” Dr. Abuhamad says.

EVMS MagazinE issue 5.1 www.evms.edu 9 news+notes Matt Balderston, MD Class of 2013, enjoys time with a new friend during a medical mission earlier this year to the Maison Fortune orphanage in Hinche, Haiti.

Student outreach heads to Haiti For EVMS students, medicine is about so much more than books and laboratories. It’s about making a difference in the lives of people in the community. Every day, students demonstrate that having a meaningful impact on the world is more than just a school mission — it’s a practiced belief at the very core of what makes EVMS unique. In Hampton Roads and beyond, Terri W. Babineau, MD, Director of Community Outreach for EVMS, EVMS students are involved has helped to forge a bond with the Haitian orphanage. EVMS students visit Haiti on a regular basis. in outreach projects that strive to improve the health Class of 2013. “I can say that being open to feel that, of a global community. The to reflect on that raw emotion, is a gift far more than 2012 trip to Haiti was one anything I could ever have hoped to give the Haitian such important endeavor. people.” EVMS students traveled Mr. Barnett and his fellow classmates spent time to Haiti in March to provide at an orphanage that is home to more than 200 medical care to one of the children, 140 of whom were displaced by the recent poorest countries in the earthquake. They also visited a hospital in Hinche world. They also delivered 15 water filtration and saw medicine at practice in a place with no James Coulter, systems capable of filtering more than 60,000 gallons access to running water. MD Class of 2013, prepares to examine of dirty water — equivalent to the volume of 500,000 “I was incredibly fortunate to be able to go to a young patient at water bottles. These machines are a vital lifeline in a Haiti,” says Tolga Sursal, MD Class of 2015. “It was the orphanage. place where clean water is a luxury and where many my first experience with international medicine and people have died of cholera. I was excited to finally live out some of the things I “It was so much more stimulating, in every way, had only read about in books.” than I could have imagined,” says Ryan Barnette, MD Get more information on this and other important student outreach projects by visiting www.evms.edu/magazine.

10 EVMS MagazinE issue 5.1 www.evms.edu news+notes anthem Blue cross Blue shield teams with evMs to battle diabetes EVMS is collaborating with the Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation in a project intended to reduce the prevalence of diabetes in adults in Southeastern Virginia and to diminish the numbers of deaths attributable to the disease.

As part of a year-long $203,000 known as pre-diabetes. Dr. Aloi Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield grant, says the goal is to perform 2,000 the EVMS Strelitz Diabetes Center screenings over the span of the one- is working with patients and local year grant. physicians to lessen the impact of the Once people with the disease or disease. The region has the highest those who are at-risk are identified, mortality rate for diabetes in Virginia, Strelitz Diabetes Center specialists nearly twice the state average. work with community physicians “Hampton Roads is an epicenter to develop follow-up care plans. in Virginia for obesity and the That may include medical therapy accompanying problems of diabetes or assistance in adopting lifestyle and heart disease,” says Joseph A. Aloi, changes, such as halting smoking, MD, Clinical Director of the Strelitz lowering blood pressure or losing Diabetes Center and Program Director weight. for the grant. “We are grateful to the The project is unusual in that it Anthem Foundation for recognizing also provides continuing medical the scope of the problem and for education for community physicians partnering with us to work toward a and recruits peer counselors — solution.” patients who have successfully “We are pleased to be able to managed their diseases — to help work with EVMS to target diabetes others. in Southeastern Virginia,” says Jay WellPoint Inc. and Anthem Schukman, MD, Anthem’s Chief Inc. merged in 2004 to form one Medical Director. “By identifying of America’s premier health care people at high risk for diabetes or companies. Anthem Blue Cross and helping catch this disease in an Blue Shield has a history of strong early stage, we can help folks put support for EVMS. The Anthem plans in place to help combat it from Professorship in Cancer Research developing further.” supports the Leroy T. Canoles Jr. With support from Anthem, the Cancer Research Center at EVMS. Strelitz Diabetes Center co-hosts The Anthem Blue Cross and Blue diabetes screenings at physician Shield Foundation, a private, non­ offices, workplaces and community profit organization wholly funded events across the region to locate by WellPoint, Inc., also has funded people with an undiagnosed disease immunization initiatives through the and those in the early stage of Project Immunize Virginia program developing the disease, a condition at EVMS.

EVMS MagazinE issue 5.1 www.evms.edu 11 news+notes

Faculty and guest speaker Daniel M. Becker, MD, MPH, Director of the Center for Biomedical Ethics and Humanities at the University of Virginia, congratulate medical students during the White Coat ceremony. Dr. Becker delivered the annual H. Lee Kanter Lecture.

New Student Orientation

In August, EVMS rolled out the welcome mat to 284 new students during a busy orientation week. This annual rite of passage for all incoming students, kicked off with the Dean’s Breakfast. There, the students mixed and mingled with their new classmates and met with faculty and school leaders. Students received their IDs, class schedules and just about everything else they’ll need for a successful tenure Friends, from left, Oluvoniyin Peters, Barron Frasier, Laura Tyrell and Mike Murphy enjoy the President’s Picnic. at EVMS. Students attended workshops, hosted by faculty and staff, and learned about what the school has to offer. Then it was off to the President’s Picnic to indulge in some BBQ, sweet tea and snow cones. In addition to eating, students and their families and friends could partake in a game of cornhole or strike a pose in the always-popular photo booth. The week Provost and Dean Richard V. Homan, MD, visits with Medical students Ibrahim Abubakar, left, and Branden concluded with 145 MD students receiving students at the President’s Picnic on the lawn at Deyerele, center, talk with Master of Public Health student Smith-Rogers Hall. Brook Alemu on the first morning of orientation. their white coats during the traditional ceremony in front of faculty, family and VISIT www.flickr.com/photos/evms to view more photos from this and other EVMS events. friends at Harrison Opera House.

12 EVMS MagazinE issue 5.1 www.evms.edu news+notes

EVMS enjoys $3.5 million boost in state support The Virginia General Assembly once again has increased its annual allotment to EVMS to support the school’s educational mission. The latest boost came in the form of $3.5 million in additional funding for Fiscal Year 2013. EVMS receives $16 million of support for education, as well as another $8 million in state money for indigent care, family-practice funding, medical modeling and simulation and financial aid for students. Graduates to carry on evMs’ community- Historically, EVMS has been considerably underfunded compared to oriented mission the other medical schools in Virginia. Doctors Without Borders U.S. Board President Harry T. Lester has worked President Matthew C. Spitzer, MD, reveled diligently with state officials to build in the community-oriented environment recognition for the school’s work and to and mission of EVMS as he spoke to make up the funding shortfall. graduates May 19 at the Norfolk Scope. “Governor McDonnell and the “Since I arrived yesterday, I have felt legislature appreciate the school’s like I am almost among comrades — allies importance to the health of the region in a certain struggle,” Dr. Spitzer, keynote and the state,” President Lester says. “We speaker for commencement, said to the are grateful for their continued support.” 296 graduates and thousands of family Much of the new funding will go and friends. Newly commissioned Army Captain Josiah L. toward adding faculty for a growing Dr. Spitzer encouraged the students Wrensford looks on as loved ones pin on his rank student class. Following the opening to adopt the tenets of the founders of at the military commissioning ceremony on the Battleship Wisconsin. last fall of a new education and research Doctors Without Borders: to combine building, the school is boosting concrete medical action with individual Commencement-related ceremonies enrollment to help prepare more conscience. He spelled out the three began with what has quickly become a physicians, physician assistants and concepts that help guide his organization’s new EVMS tradition: the White Coat other health care professionals in the volunteers during their work — to be on Retirement Ceremony. Medical students face of an expected nationwide shortage the front lines to witness the need for and friends returned to Windhaven of health care workers. care, refusing to accept unacceptable Farm in Windsor to retire their short The additional state support also is situations involving patients, and driving white coats in preparation for the long helping EVMS hold the line on tuition for innovation — illustrating each with a white coats worn by physicians. increases. This year’s increases story from his travels and work around the The festivities included the annual were the lowest in world to assist the less fortunate. military commissioning ceremony more than “Humanitarian medicine, or aboard the USS Wisconsin in downtown 20 years. community-oriented health care, is not Norfolk and the physician assistant something we should think of as charity program’s White Coat and Awards care or where something is better than Ceremony. There also were a series nothing,” he said. “Instead, it should of banquets and receptions to honor seek the highest standards and the best graduates, including a new ceremony care possible, whether very far away in a this year to induct students and faculty Virginia Capitol, Richmond Va. developing country or next door.” into the Gold Humanism Honor Society.

EVMS MagazinE issue 5.1 www.evms.edu 13 news+notes

EVMS physicians Whro honors otolaryngology chair are ’Top Docs’ with community impact award EVMS is well Barry Strasnick, MD, Professor and Chair represented in this of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, year’s Top Docs list was awarded the 2012 WHRO Community that appears in the Impact Award in the area of Health and September issue Public Safety. of Hampton Roads The category recognizes those whose Magazine. efforts raise community awareness about The magazine honors some 250 safety issues and help protect the public, or EVMS full-time and community faculty whose individual acts of heroism save lives. physicians and alumni. That’s more Dr. Strasnick was nominated for his work than half of the 440 doctors who were with the Coalition for Hearing, Education selected by peers to be part of the annual and Research (CHEAR). list. The list includes 37 physicians who He also was recently named as a 2012 Best practice with EVMS Health Services. Doctor in Virginia Living Magazine and was Go to evms.edu/magazine for a listed among one of the “Top Doctors” in Barry Strasnick, MD complete list of the honorees. Otolaryngology by U.S. News and World Report. Grant comes just in time for EVMS physician-scientist garners grant to study polio vaccines surge in new HIV patients An EVMS infectious disease specialist is receiving research support EVMS has received critical, long­ from a private foundation in her efforts to improve global health. term federal funding to care for uninsured HIV patients. Stephanie B. Troy, MD, is one of 16 physician-scientists selected to receive the 2012 The additional $900,000 spread Clinical Scientist Development Award from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. over three years will be used to care Dr. Troy will use the $484,000 award to further her study of the possible risks of polio for HIV patients unable to afford their vaccines and methods to improve them. treatment, says Edward C. Oldfield, “Although the current polio vaccines have succeeded in decreasing the number of MD, Director of the EVMS Center for global polio cases from 600,000 per year to only 650 cases in 2011, they have limitations the Comprehensive Care of Immune that might make global polio eradication difficult,” says Dr. Troy, who holds joint Deficiency (C3ID). EVMS physicians appointments in the Department of Internal Medicine and in the Department of see the majority of low-income HIV Microbiology and Molecular Cell Biology. patients in Southeastern Virginia and The grant will fund a clinical trial investigating whether an injection into the skin the Eastern Shore. rather than the muscle will improve vaccine effectiveness and allow for a reduced dose The money, from the Ryan White of inactivated polio vaccine in HIV-infected adults. The reduced dosage, if effective, HIV/AIDS Program, comes just in time. would make the vaccine more affordable for developing countries, Dr. Troy says. While the number of C3ID Ryan White patients has mushroomed 250 percent Friday the 13th: a typical day in the ER since 2007, funding has grown just 12 percent. And the volume of new patients Bruce Lo, MD, Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at EVMS, has debunked continues to soar. the myth that people are more likely to end up in the ER on Friday the 13th. Dr. Lo C3ID instituted a series of cost- published a study in the July edition of the American Journal of Emergency Medicine. saving measures to stretch the limited In the study, Dr. Lo compared emergency room visits at six different hospitals over a federal funding, reducing the annual seven-year period, and determined that average ER visits for Friday the 13th were not cost of care per person (excluding increased compared with the Friday before and after, and the month before. medications) from $2,319 to $1,530. Dr. Lo also evaluated 13 different conditions and determined that only penetrating traumas were seen more often on Friday the 13th.

14 EVMS MagazinE issue 5.1 www.evms.edu news+notes

EVMS partners with JDRF BOOK REVIEWS: to tackle Type 1 diabetes Alfred Z. Abuhamad, The EVMS Strelitz Diabetes Center MD, Professor and is partnering with the Juvenile Diabetes Chair of Obstetrics and Research Foundation (JDRF) on a pair Gynecology; James C. of important grants that target Type 1 Lukban, DO, Professor diabetes. of Obstetrics and Student group working with The first, a two-year, $500,000 Gynecology; and Khaled grant, will focus on the enzyme Sakhel, MD, Assistant local seniors wins award 12-lipoxygenase (12-LO), an important Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Beyond Clinic Walls, a student-run link in the development of Type 1 recently wrote a book titled Practical community outreach program, recently diabetes. Guide to Office Procedures in Gynecology placed second and won a $2,000 award Studies in mice show that when and Urogynecology. from the Commonwealth Council on scientists delete the gene responsible “The book serves as an all Aging as part of its annual Best Practices for 12-LO, mice who are predisposed encompassing manuscript of the office award competition. to develop Type 1 diabetes remain free procedures performed by gynecologists,” The Commonwealth Council on of the disease, say co-investigators says Dr. Sakel. “It is the only book of its Aging advises the governor on issues Jerry L. Nadler, MD, and David Taylor- kind currently available on the market.” affecting the nearly one million Fishwick, PhD. Unique in its focus on office-based Virginians age 65 and older. Because deleting genes is not an procedures, the book thoroughly Beyond Clinic Walls pairs EVMS option in humans, the researchers covers the essentials of diagnostic and student volunteers with older residents will evaluate a series of potential therapeutic procedures, which are part in the Norfolk area who face complex new medications to block 12-LO of the office practice of the women’s medical and social issues. The students activity. The goal is to develop an oral specialist. receive guidance and support from medication that could serve as the basis the Glennan Center for Geriatrics and for a similar approach in humans. L. D. Britt, MD, MPH, Gerontology. Clients are recruited In the second grant, the EVMS Henry Ford Professor from Senior Services of Southeastern scientists are taking part in a JDRF and Brickhouse Chair of Virginia, the region’s Area Agency on collaborative initiative known as Surgery, has published Aging. nPOD-V (Network for Pancreatic his third textbook. Beyond Clinic Walls was created by Donors with Diabetes) that will Titled Acute Care MD Class of 2013 students Daniel C. investigate if a virus triggers the Surgery, the 64-chapter Parker, Melanie J. Schriber and Sara W. insulin-cell destruction that leads to book highlights topics such as cutting- Siddiqui. Each played a pivotal role in Type 1 diabetes. edge surgical technology, management starting the program and then passed The dual research projects could paradigms, trauma, critical care and the torch to this year’s student leaders, have profound implications. Each emergency general surgery. It also Stephanie M. Lape and Viann N. year, more than 13,000 young people provides guidance on evidence-based Nguyen. are diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, care for acutely ill surgical patients. Also, Dr. Britt recently was selected Learn more about Beyond Clinic Walls by according to the U.S. Centers for visiting www.evms.edu/magazine. Disease Control and Prevention. to serve as the lecturer for the Dr. John J. Krueger Annual Lectureship event in Employers honored with Business Investment in Babies awards November in Virginia Beach. In its 14th year, the Krueger Lectureship is named EVMS was among 17 employers in the region honored in August by the Consortium in honor of a pathologist and leader in for Infant and Child Health (CINCH) for their efforts to support breastfeeding mothers both the medical and lay communities. in the workplace. CINCH, a regional child health coalition sponsored by EVMS, Dr. Krueger was a strong proponent of presented the Business Investment in Babies (BIB) Awards during a ceremony August 3. high-quality medicine and was involved The school now has five “nursing nooks” scattered around campus. in many charities.

EVMS MagazinE issue 5.1 www.evms.edu 15 Members of the EVMS trauma team, that provides lifesaving care for the entire region, include (from left to right): Scott F. Reed, MD; Jay N. Collins, MD; Leonard J. Weireter, MD; Timothy J. Novosel, MD Class of 2000; and L.D. Britt, MD, MPH.

16 EVMS MagazinE issue 5.1 www.evms.edu Your first line of defense

EVMS staffs the only level 1 trauma center in the region

Pink ripples of skin draw lines along Steve Joyner’s face from his sparkling blue eyes down cheek bones and to his chin. His hands, too, have soft ridges of puckered skin, the telling signs of a fiery blaze that nearly took his life.

EVMS MagazinE issue 5.1 www.evms.edu 17 round Christmas in 2011, Mr. Joyner attempted to restart a At its core, trauma care is different because it is not a single, specific fire using gasoline, something he admits knowing could be condition or area of the body. Trauma is the result of serious or critical dangerous. A sudden reigniting engulfed him in flames. injuries caused by incidents, such as automobile crashes, falls or acts AMr. Joyner suffered third-degree burns on nearly 50 percent of his of violence. body. He fell in and out of consciousness as paramedics rushed him Trauma is time sensitive. If you don’t get the right treatment in to the only place in Hampton Roads equipped to provide the care the right amount of time, your body will cross a line from which he needed — the Level 1 trauma center at Sentara Norfolk General there is no turning back. When emergency responders arrive, no one Hospital (SNGH), which is staffed around the clock by EVMS surgeons. knows where you are on that line or how long you may have. That This is high-pressure, rapid-fire medical care, and these men and initial timeframe is called the “golden hour” — the small window of women are your first line of defense. They take the hardest cases — the opportunity to perform the necessary, life-saving interventions that ones where life hangs in the balance, the ones other hospitals aren’t give patients the chance to survive and thrive after traumatic injuries. equipped to handle. The SNGH/EVMS team is one of only five Level I trauma centers in “You can take care of the majority of injuries in any emergency room, the state and the only one serving the greater Hampton Roads region. but the trauma center exists for the 15 percent of the worst injuries out That recognition is awarded to hospitals that demonstrate their ability there because you have a finite period of time to do something positive,” to provide the highest quality of care for all injured patients. As a says Leonard J. Weireter, MD, Chief of the EVMS Division of Trauma, verified trauma center, SNGH is staffed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year the Arthur and Marie Kirk Chair and Professor of Surgery. “To get the by EVMS surgeons. They handle cases from Williamsburg to the Outer right patient to the right hospital in the right time frame, that’s why Banks, provide trauma care for the Navy and take all pediatric trauma we are here.” cases for children of all ages.

18 EVMS MagazinE issue 5.1 www.evms.edu “You can take care of the majority of injuries in any emergency room, but the trauma center exists for the 15 percent of the worst injuries out there because you have a finite period of time to do something positive.”

Leonard J. Weireter, MD, Chief of the EVMS Division of Trauma

The team has dedicated emergency-room space capable of handling In 2011, Dr. Weireter’s team saw 2,668 trauma patients. About 240 mass casualties and round-the-clock access to laboratory and radiology were burn victims like Mr. Joyner. The great majority, however, were services. They have an operating room they can walk into immediately victims of motor-vehicle crashes. and subspecialties, including orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery, plastic Patients like 15-year-old Meaghan Gerety. surgery and anesthesiology, waiting for their call. The Trauma Service also A slight girl with a pixie hair cut and a wide, toothy smile, Meaghan oversees a specific intensive care and burn unit for these patients. This is a teenager on the mend. Bickering with her dad over typical girl­ team plays a leading role in every aspect of a patient’s recovery. likes-boy-that-parents-don’t scenarios is a welcome occurrence and a This is where the fight to beat the clock happens. reminder of how far she has come in just one year. “We mobilize resources immediately as needed, but that’s what it On June 16, 2011, Sean and Tracey Gerety received the 4 a.m. phone takes. That is the institutional commitment this level of care requires,” call every parent dreads. Meaghan was involved in a car accident less Dr. Weireter says. “This is an excellent working relationship between than a mile from their home. She suffered major head trauma, and EVMS and Sentara. They own the hard assets, and we have a leadership paramedics weren’t certain she would survive the transport to the responsibility to set the medical tone and bring the expertise of a medical hospital. school to the table.” The Gerety’s were told to prepare for the worst. “We were trying to make sense of it all, but they told us that she he numbers tell the story. would have the best chance of making it if they took her to Norfolk According to the Virginia Department of Health, one in every 350 General,” Tracey Gerety says. “We prayed the EVMS surgeons would people in Virginia will be affected by trauma each year. Plus, trauma is be able to help her.” Tthe leading cause of death for people ages 1 to 44. At the trauma center, doctors and nurses waited in a cleared trauma EVMS MagazinE issue 5.1 www.evms.edu 19 bay. Snapping into action when Meaghan recovery, but her family has remained focused arrived, the team assessed vital signs and on her future. checked the extent of her skull fracture. Within Before his daughter’s accident, Sean Gerety three minutes, she was swept into surgery didn’t know about EVMS or the trauma center. where a portion of her skull was removed to Today, he considers himself one of their biggest ease swelling on the right side of her brain. Her fans. “If it weren’t for EVMS, my daughter injuries left Meaghan in a coma for 14 days in wouldn’t be here, it’s that simple,” he says. the ICU. The only thing that made Meaghan’s coma n many ways, the trauma team is made up of bearable, her mother says, was the trauma unsung heroes. team’s commitment to involving the family Most people in the community don’t in their loved one’s care. They invite family know what it means to have a Level 1 members to participate in ICU rounds, to listen Itrauma center in their community until they to the discussion and to ask questions after or loved ones need its services, says L.D. Britt, doctors and residents are finished talking shop. MD, Brickhouse Chair of Surgery, Henry Ford “Words cannot describe what a parent goes Professor and a long-time member of the trauma through to see your child there hooked up to team. Even fewer understand the intricate role machines, everything just drains out of you,” EVMS plays in making that center a reality in Mrs. Gerety says. “The trauma team was so Hampton Roads. understanding and patient and always answered “There are places around the country where our questions. There was just this sense that people who are critically ill or injured don’t have we are working together as a team to help my access to this level of care, but fortunately, we daughter.” have it here in Hampton Roads,” Dr. Britt says. After less than a year, Meaghan returned “People take it for granted. Get injured, though, to school and started regaining a sense of and you won’t take it for granted.” normalcy in her life. It’s been a long road to When Dr. Britt came to EVMS in 1986, the

20 EVMS MagazinE issue 5.1 www.evms.edu trauma program was not fully developed. access to the newest treatments and the He and other EVMS surgeons were on call brightest minds, Dr. Britt says. “You don’t every other night until the department built have one person; you have a team of all up a full-time faculty to serve as the surgical these minds determining what is the best resource at the hospital, says Dr. Britt, who management for your care, and that makes was Chief of the Trauma Service prior to his all the difference in the world,” he says. It See Steve Joyner’s story at appointment as Department Chair. certainly made all the difference to Mr. Joyner. www.evms.edu/MyStory Today, five core surgeons make up He’s back at work and beginning to do many of the trauma team, but the entire surgery the things he enjoyed before his accident. department handles trauma calls and “The skills of the surgeons, their works with residents and fellows. They also encouragement and the support they gave provide acute-care surgery services and me, it all helped me get through this,” Mr. have developed an accredited critical-care Joyner says. “I walked out of that hospital fellowship with a 100-percent exam pass rate. three months after my accident — that’s a Hear more about Having a medical school affiliated with the testament to just how phenomenal they are.” Meaghan’s story at trauma center means patients are provided www.evms.edu/MyStory

EVMS MagazinE issue 5.1 www.evms.edu 21 A f east(Diabetes-Friendly) fit

for a king

22 EVMS MagazinE issue 5.1 www.evms.edu xecutive Chef Edward Storey has worked at Bardo Edibles + Elixers for the past four years, and as a chef for many years before. He confesses that dining out can be difficult for someone trying to watch his or her diet. But Chef Storey was willing to stray efrom his usual fare in the name of eating healthy. Growing up in Georgia, he indulged in his fair share of down-home, southern cooking. However, after his father suffered several heart attacks and his mother learned she has celiac disease, he learned the importance of a proper diet. for a king Watch Chef Edward Storey prepare this dish and check out the recipe online at EVMS.edu/magazine.

EVMS MagazinE issue 5.1 www.evms.edu 23 24 EVMS MagazinE issue 5.1 www.evms.edu Shrimp with spinach

ating healthy doesn’t mean suffering through a dull diet. Living with diabetes or not, we dare you not to relish in the explosion of flavor packed into each bite. Take this mouth-watering entree for example — sautéed shrimp with spinach, red peppers and pine nuts over a country ham grit cake — that first envelops you in a scent of nutty, fresh seafood. By calling on his southern roots when pairing this ham grit cake with the shrimp, Bardo Edibles + Elixirs Executive Chef Edward Storey ecreates an unconventional holiday dish that is still sure to be a crowd- pleaser. To make this entree healthier while still keeping all of the flavors, Chef Storey uses olive oil in lieu of butter, substitutes two of the four eggs with egg whites, uses low fat cheese and whipping cream instead of heavy cream. Dietician Phyllis Woodson of EVMS Strelitz Diabetes Center says reducing sugar, fat and salt or sodium intake is good for everyone since these nutrients in excess can increase your health risks.

Find this recipe and more tips for eating healthier, online at EVMS.edu/magazine.

EVMS MagazinE issue 5.1 www.evms.edu 25

Carrot casserole

lated to perfection, Chef Storey’s carrot casserole bursts not only with color but also flavor. The simplicity of this recipe makes it a snap to prepare at home and a few extra bright orange carrots grated on top go a long way to make this plate as visually appealing as it tastes. Ms. Woodson suggests limiting starches when choosing a side dish, so Chef Storey turned to a recipe that’s been featured on the menus peverywhere he’s worked: his grandmother’s carrot casserole recipe. But by using the low fat versions of cheese and mayonnaise, he was able to make a wholesome side dish, and make his vegan grandmother proud at the same time, he says.

Like what you see? Visit evms.edu/magazine for this recipe and more. Plus, check out our expert tips for making your favorite meals healthier.

26 EVMS MagazinE issue 5.1 www.evms.edu Carrot casserole

EVMS MagazinE issue 5.1 www.evms.edu 27 28 EVMS MagazinE issue 5.1 www.evms.edu Wait, there’s more. Head over to evms.edu/magazine for the recipes of the meal featured here, plus two bonus dishes: Turkey Casserole and Almond Broccoli Sauté. Watch as Chef Storey prepares the savory broccoli side and read more tips from Ms. Woodson for preparing healthy meals.

meringue kisses Mocha ho says you can’t have your cake and eat it too? So long as its prepared like Chef Storey’s delicate mocha meringue kisses, you can. He uses egg whites and a sugar substitute so that these bite-sized beauties still satisfy any chocolate lover’s craving, but without all the guilt of indulging in the typical high fat/high calorie dessert. Adding a dollop of fat free whipped cream is the perfect accompaniment. wSince most people tend to overindulge when they’re eating out, Ms. Woodson suggests skipping the appetizer, splitting the entree with someone or taking half of it home. Avoid dessert, she says, or share it among several people. She also recommends limiting the alcoholic beverages. But wait, there’s more online. To try all of these recipes in your own kitchen, visit evms.edu/magazine. You’ll also find Chef Storey preparing a bonus dish — almond broccoli sauté and the recipe for his turkey casserole. Plus, Ms. Woodson has some more tips for healthy eating. You don’t want to miss this exclusive online content.

EVMS MagazinE issue 5.1 www.evms.edu 29 Is the stethoscope about to become extinct?

30 EVMS MagazinE issue 5.1 www.evms.edu A national leader in the effort to expand the use of medical ultrasound, Alfred Z. Abuhamad, MD, compares a full-size ultrasound machine with a hand-held unit.

Is the stethoscope about to become extinct? Medical ULTRASOUND comes of age.

At 54 years old, Pete thought he was in the best shape of his life. But a sudden pain down his left arm and shortness of breath forced him to dial 911. Within five minutes, a paramedic was using a handheld ultrasound to get a closer look at Pete’s heart.

That iconic image of a doctor with a stethoscope may soon become a distant memory, as more and more, ultrasound becomes the go-to technology of choice for health professionals around the globe. Seventy years after an Austrian doctor first used it as a diagnostic tool, ultrasound is finally coming of age.

Touted as the “stethoscope of the future” for its ability to provide real-time diagnostic information, ultrasound’s increasing portability and affordability are making it more practical and feasible than ever. The American Medical Association (AMA) has even acknowledged the trend, recently affirming for the first time that “ultrasound imaging is a safe, effective and efficient tool when utilized by, or under the direction of, appropriately trained physicians.”

EVMS MagazinE issue 5.1 www.evms.edu 31 Alfred Z. Abuhamad, MD, Professor and Chair of Obstetrics psychological disorders,” says Dr. Levitov, who has written two and Gynecology (Mason C. Andrews Chair), and a long-time books on the subject. Dr. Levitov says ultrasound’s versatility, ultrasound pioneer, says the AMA resolution is a major step safety, portability and affordability have helped bring it to such forward for a technology whose potential is only now being remote locales as the Mt. Everest base camp, the battlefields realized. of the Middle East and the space station. As units become “Ultrasound has some important advantages over other even more portable and cost-effective, ultrasound is also imaging tools,” says Dr. Abuhamad, who also is national president becoming ubiquitous in hospitals, clinics and even at patient of the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine, a sponsor bedsides. of the AMA resolution. “From a safety perspective, ultrasound “Ultrasound is truly changing the paradigm of how we diagnose uses no ionizing radiation, so it is safer. From a cost perspective, and treat patients,” Dr. Knapp says. In partnership with it is less expensive than MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) or ultrasound manufacturer SonoSite, he is leading a major study CT (computed tomography). And from a clinical perspective, it on the value of ultrasound in the hands of emergency medical is at least as effective as other imaging modalities in many cases.” service (EMS) providers. Through this study, close to 90 EMS Dr. Abuhamad is helping lead the charge to encourage practitioners providers within the city of Norfolk can obtain and transmit and payers to consider ultrasound before other diagnostic tools in vital ultrasound data in cases of cardiac arrest or major trauma. appropriate situations. “There are gaps in knowledge of ultrasound “Ultrasound machines have traditionally sat in the radiology on the health-care team,” he says. “As a society, we are trying to fill suite or in the OBGYN department,” Dr. Knapp says. “But it is those gaps and help the medical community understand the many clear to us in emergency medicine that having more information situations in which using ultrasound first may be of value.” on the clinical status of patients before they even reach the emergency department could be a huge benefit not only to EMS A Brief History providers but also to emergency physicians.” The roots of ultrasound technology can be traced to ancient Greece, where Pythagoras developed a “sonometer” for measuring musical sounds. By World War I, the French were building a device capable of detecting submerged enemy submarines, the precursor to modern sonar. But it was not until the 1940s that Austrian neurologist Karl Dussik became the first physician to use super-fast sound waves in medical diagnosis. “I would say that we are still in the infancy of introducing the widespread use of ultrasound in clinical practice,” says Barry J. Knapp, MD, Associate Professor and Emergency Ultrasound Fellowship Director. “Until recently, the scope and focus have been very narrow. But in the hands of more physicians, ultrasound is going to be an even more powerful tool.” Multiple Applications Most people realize that ultrasound can be used to get a better look at the heart and babies in the womb. But EVMS Critical Care Specialist and Professor of Internal Medicine,

Alexander B. Levitov, MD, says few Seconds count during a medical emergency. Emergency physician Barry Knapp, understand the true scope of ultrasound’s MD, is studying how the use of portable ultrasound equipment during transport to potential. the hospital impacts patient outcomes. Here, he demonstrates use of ultrasound in an ambulance. “Ultrasound technology is virtually omnipotent in that it can be used for every disease process, with the exception of a few

32 EVMS MagazinE issue 5.1 www.evms.edu In the emergency department, ultrasound provided through a grant from GE. Their experience with the can be used to diagnose bleeding in internal devices, both during medical school and later in clinical practice, organs in trauma victims as well as check the status will become the subject of a research study in collaboration with of vital organs like the heart and aorta. It’s also valuable in GE. “We are one of the first adopters of what is going to become a diagnosing problems in numerous other areas of the body, such trend in medical education,” Dr. Abuhamad says. “Our hope is that as in the eyes, muscles and bones. these students will think about ultrasound when they need an Ultrasound is used to provide real-time guidance in placing a imaging technology in clinical practice. They will understand its central line or performing needle biopsy and can even perform benefits and limitations and will know how to order it appropriately.” functions sometimes thought to be the sole domain of radiation- And that knowledge will come just in time. Although all three based imaging systems, such as identifying broken bones. doctors acknowledge that widespread acceptance of ultrasound This can be especially valuable in poor or remote areas and for will depend in part on changes in insurance reimbursement, Dr. pediatric patients for whom exposure to ionizing radiation can Knapp predicts a bright future for the technology. increase the risk of leukemia and lymphoma later in life. A Bright Future “I would not be surprised if, in 20 or 30 years, there is EVMS is taking a leadership role in advancing the everyday use of the technology. That effort includes building ultrasound into an ultrasound machine the school’s curricula. Students are learning its value early in in every physician’s office” . medical school by using advanced new equipment — including 30 units approximately the footprint of a smart-phone —

First-year medical students use handheld ultrasound units to practice finding toys embedded in gel designed to mimic human tissue.

EVMS MagazinE issue 5.1 www.evms.edu 33 alumniConnections

EVMS alum assumes command of USNS Comfort’s Medical Treatment Facility Navy Capt. kevin J. knoop, MD, a 1985 graduate of EVMS, assumed command of the Military Sealift Command hospital ship uSNS Comfort’s Medical Treatment Facility in May.

He was most recently deployed as a force surgeon from III Marine Expeditionary Force in Okinawa, Japan. The Comfort’s primary mission is to serve as a floating, mobile, acute-surgical medical facility for the U.S. military, along with a secondary mission to provide hospital services for disaster relief and humanitarian operations worldwide. The 1,000-bed, 10-operating room hospital has a helicopter pad, two helicopters and two waterborne ambulances and is staffed by 900 military and civilian health care care and the leadership opportunities he was professionals. In recent afforded. deployments in the “The humanistic approach to patient care Caribbean and Latin that I experienced at EVMS has stayed with America, more than me throughout my career and taught me to 68,000 patients were always put the patient first. EVMS was ahead of treated, and 1,100 medical its time in emphasizing patient-centered care procedures took place when other schools seemed more focused on in the shipboard improving their students’ grades,” he says. operating At EVMS, Capt. Knoop was vice president room. of his class for all three years (the MD program After was only three years in duration at the time) assuming and served as interim president for the school’s command first four-year class. and reflecting on “I also got my first real exposure to how his studies at EVMS leadership positions at EVMS,” he says. “I got influenced his career, Capt. to experience the value and responsibility of Kevin J. Knoop, MD Class of 1985, and his wife, Mary Jo Chandler, MPA Class of 2008, celebrate Capt. Knoop's new Knoop recalled the school’s positions of responsibility, which helped in my command of the U.S. Navy hospital ship Comfort. Above unique approach to patient Navy career, as well.” right, Capt. Knoop takes part in the change-of-command ceremony.

LIKE OUR FACEBOOK PAGE www.facebook.com/EVMSedu for news and links to everything EVMS.

34 EVMS MagazinE issue 5.1 www.evms.edu alumniConnections

EVMS grad serves veterans in Washington of you as part of the greater whole, is something much instilled at EVMS. It’s not about you; it’s Since graduating from EVMS in 1981, Mary Maniscalco- about things much bigger than you, playing your Theberge, MD, has traveled the world as a united States Army part and making contributions.” As a deputy medical inspector, she is part Medical Corps surgeon, attaining the rank of colonel. She was of a team that investigates cases regarding the first female chief of surgery at Walter Reed Army Medical quality-of-care issues that may ultimately affect changes across the whole of the Veterans Health Center. She now serves as the Deputy Medical Inspector for Administration. Professional Services, office of the Medical Inspector for the “When something’s happened, we’re a reactionary force. We get cases in a number of Veterans Health Administration. ways: from veterans, staffer calls, news events, congressional inquiries. If they say, ‘Washington is In spite of her achievements, Dr. Maniscalco-Theberge, or Dr. Mary as investigating,’ that’s who we are. We really are from she is widely known, remains down-to-earth, laughing when asked about her Washington, and we’re here to help,” she says. remarkable success. Her colleagues include physicians and nurses “If you had told me 30 years ago this is where I’d be today, I would have who form a team of clinical and administrative said, ‘Huh?’” she says. professionals with more than 100 years of She attributes much of her success to EVMS, which she chose because of combined investigational experience. They work the care that professors and administrators showed to students. with other entities, including the Department “I’m forever grateful for the opportunity to have started my career at of Defense and civilian institutions, to raise EVMS,” she says. “It is such a community-based school. It was not just an standards of health care. academic endeavor; it was a community endeavor.” Her day-to-day routine is anything but. One Dr. Maniscalco-Theberge fondly recalls a trip to the mountains taken by day may involve gathering information, reviewing many students in which the upperclassmen were there to help and nurture her records and reading news stories. Another may class. involve traveling to a site followed by intensive “It really was a family environment… we were doing this all together,” she interviews, compliance inspections and facility says. “You heard stories about med schools being cut-throat with students evaluations. Team meetings compare impressions sabotaging one another, but EVMS was not at all like that. It was about and prepare recommendations. Reports are working together to be the best, most compassionate physicians possible.” written, vetted by different offices and sent to She also was impressed by the diversity of EVMS’ student population, and facilities to develop response plans. noted that there was “a unique, broad spectrum of people” in their late 20s “This is not your father’s VA. It’s a very different and 30s. thing from when I was in medical school. We’re “That was very enlightening to see making great efforts to standardize care around how people make life choices,” she says. the country to deliver the highest quality of care “I was very traditional, going to high wherever veterans are. We’re part of the system to school, college and med school. That make sure that happens. It’s a very exciting place wasn’t the path that a large portion to be,” she says. “It’s truly an honor and privilege of the class took. They had evaluated to take care of American veterans. They are truly life and made the choice to go into special people.” medicine with experience behind Dr. Maniscalco-Theberge is also an attending them.” general surgeon at the Walter Reed National Now, with more than 30 years of Military Medical Center. She is in the operating experience, Dr. Maniscalco-Theberge room one day a week, principally performing looks back to EVMS’ commitment breast surgeries. to community as she works to aid She says, “It’s helpful with my job because when Mary Maniscalco-Theberge, MD, receives veterans. an award from the American College of I do medical inspections, people ask, ‘Do you still “The whole concept of community, Surgeons in recognition of her dedication to operate?’ and I do.” surgical education and patient care.

EVMS MagazinE issue 5.1 www.evms.edu 35 alumniconnections

following the family path to medicine classnotes

Running parallel to EVMS’ mission to work that they do. You hear interesting Maureen D. Mayes, MD Class of 1976, has be the most community-oriented medical and inspiring stories of medicine. It’s like joined the Medical Advisory Board of the school in the nation is the commitment to osmosis. You can’t help but be interested Raynaud’s Association. Now a Professor of train physicians and medical professionals [in medicine] growing up in that kind of Medicine at the University of Texas Health who will practice in this community. family.” Science Center at Houston Medical School, Nowhere is that more evident than Another family with close ties to EVMS Dr. Mayes directs the in “legacy” families consisting of EVMS is the Whibleys. Theresa W. Whibley, MD, Scleroderma Clinic alumni who raise children who follow is an EVMS graduate, assistant professor and Research Program in their footsteps. Two current EVMS of obstetrics and gynecology and member at UTHealth and is a families are particularly emblematic of the of the EVMS Board of Visitors and Norfolk leading authority on notion to serve this community. City Council. Her son, Josh Whibley, is in Raynaud’s disease. State Senator Ralph S. Northam, MD, the EVMS Physician Assistant Program. is an EVMS graduate (1984) Both entered EVMS after successful Jennifer Reason, careers outside of medicine. MD, EVMS Ob/Gyn Residency Class of Dr. Whibley, who graduated in 2012, has joined her father, John Reason, 1982, says she was attracted to EVMS in practice at Riverside Shore OB/GYN in part because the school embraced Associates in Nassawadox on the Eastern nontraditional students. She was a teacher Shore of Virginia. and reading specialist before she decided to pursue her interest in medicine. Jeffrey Wilson, MD Class of 1997, Josh studied business and hospitality recently published his second novel, management in college. He worked at a The Donors, a story that, according to series of resorts before deciding that he the publisher, “fuses elements of horror, wanted to pursue medicine. EVMS was a medical suspense and the supernatural.” and an assistant perfect fit for him, as well. Dr. Wilson draws on his experiences as a professor of pediatrics and a pediatric Josh says that watching his mother trauma and combat surgeon during two neurologist at Children’s Hospital of The interact with patients inspired him. tours of duty in Iraq. He and his wife, King’s Daughters. His son, Wes, is a third- “I have a lot of memories of going Wendy, live with children Emma, Jack and year medical student at EVMS. around town, and my mom would meet Connor in Southwest Florida, where he is The father and son share a commitment a patient or somebody she delivered. They now at work on his next novel. to being involved in the community. Dr. were always so thankful and happy to see Northam says, “We stressed to them — her. You could really tell there was a bond Looking back and tried to lead by example — that in between my mom and her patients. “She addition to doing your job on a day-to-day made an impact on a lot of people’s lives, basis, it is important to help others who and that’s pretty amazing.” need help.” Growing up as the child of a physician, Wes was well acquainted with the challenges and sacrifices the profession requires. Recognize this blues-crooning duo “You realize early on what a (photographed for an EVMS alumni significant time commitment it is and yearbook)? Send us your guess at news@ how it affects your family. You can’t evms.edu. We’ll pick from among the always be there for family events,” Wes correct responses and send the winner an says. “It’s pretty amazing what they do, EVMS prize pack. and you have an appreciation for the Send your class notes and news to [email protected]

36 EVMS MagazinE issue 5.1 www.evms.edu yoursupport

Capital Campaign draws strong support ahead of year-end finale With just over two months left before its conclusion, the EVMS 20 Twenty Capital Campaign continues to gain support from Hampton Roads and beyond.

The campaign stretched to more than $26 million over the “EVMS is delighted with the investment that Newport summer, and the vision for EVMS’ future has proven to be a News Shipbuilding has made in the medical school. It strong lure for people and organizations that want to ensure represents a milestone gift toward the future of the school,” a healthy community. Recently, The Mary Morton Parsons Mr. Wilbanks says. “It is especially important since they are Foundation issued a two-to-one challenge grant to the school, reinvesting in the community in a high-growth area, such as and Newport News Shipbuilding committed $250,000 to the health care. Given the future reduction of military spending in campaign. the area, EVMS is becoming a much more important growth “Gifts such as these demonstrate that those who care about engine to Hampton Roads.” this community understand how important EVMS is to our Launched in January 2010, the 20 Twenty Capital future,” says Connie L. McKenzie, Director of Development. Campaign supports initiatives critical to both EVMS and “We’re thrilled to receive such strong support from organizations the community it serves. The drive seeks to generate funding known for effecting positive change for this region and the state.” for construction and renovation projects, for increased The Mary Morton Parsons Foundation, known for issuing scholarship gifts and endowments for the deepening of EVMS’ challenge grants for causes important to the greater-Richmond diabetes and cancer programs. The campaign concludes in area, will contribute $200,000 if EVMS raises an additional December 2012. $400,000 toward the construction of the Education and Research To support Hampton Roads health care and make a gift to Building and renovations to Lewis Hall, the Edward E. Brickell the Capital Campaign, use the special envelope included in Medical Sciences Library and the Strelitz Diabetes Center by this magazine or go online to www.evmsfoundation.com. May 2013. “EVMS’ work benefits communities throughout the Commonwealth, and they are a key part of the solution to the shortage of health care providers that will affect us all. The school’s far-reaching impact in Virginia made our decision to support their growth an easy one,” says foundation Executive Director Amy P. Nisenson. The contribution from Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) will go toward the cost of constructing the new building and to the EVMS Fund. Wayne F. Wilbanks, Co-Chairman of the Capital Campaign, says the company’s gift is a testament to the medical school’s impact on the regional economy; with some job losses expected in the military-industrial complex, NNS is supporting a sector that is expected to help fill that economic gap.

EVMS MagazinE issue 5.1 www.evms.edu 37 yoursupport

compassion a driving force for Glennan center benefactor Virginia Glennan Ferguson has seen much in her 96 years. The Norfolk native spent childhood summers bronzing at the oceanfront in then-rural Virginia Beach. She lived through the Great Depression, attended finishing school in Boston and resided for a time in Maui. But the experience that left some of the deepest marks on her heart — and stirred her to action — was the 4,000 hours she spent volunteering in the emergency room at Virginia Beach General Hospital during the ’60s and ’70s.

“I loved every her grandfather, Michael Glennan. The men were scions of the minute of it,” she says. local news industry; Michael Glennan worked for The Virginian Since this was — forerunner of the The Virginian-Pilot — before buying it in before the days of the 1870s, and Keville Glennan was editor of The Virginian-Pilot emergency rooms and The Ledger-Dispatch. being staffed almost Mrs. Ferguson had just concluded her sponsorship of a exclusively by medical series of journalism lectures held in the men’s honor when a personnel, she helped prepare patients and instruments for the doctors, as well as handled administrative tasks. She witnessed immense compassion and heart-felt care, but Mrs. Ferguson also Virginia Glennan Ferguson noticed a disturbing trend. Particularly around the holidays, people would sometimes leave elderly relatives at the ER when they felt burdened by the older person’s medical needs. Patients also would come in from nursing homes with bedsores or other signs that their care was lacking. Mrs. Ferguson was particularly close with her grandparents, and she says seeing family members treated that way broke her heart. “I looked at all these people, and I kept thinking, ‘They were somebody. Somebody loved them,’” she says. “And now they’re just flotsam and jetsam, and nobody cares.” Those experiences were seared into her memory, and years later, they fueled action. In the mid-1990s, Mrs. Ferguson was looking for a way to honor the legacies of Mrs. Ferguson’s father, Edward Keville Glennan, carried on the family newspaper her father, Edward Keville Glennan, and tradition by serving as editor of The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Dispatch.

38 EVMS MagazinE issue 5.1 www.evms.edu yoursupport

new opportunity arose at EVMS. Friends of hers at the school — including then-faculty physicians John Franklin, MD, and Robert Payne, MD — convinced Mrs. Ferguson that she could help prevent what she saw in the ER by supporting a program at EVMS focused on the unique needs of older patients. And in 1995, Mrs. Ferguson donated $2 million to establish the Glennan Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology at EVMS. The center has kept the school at the forefront of elder care. All EVMS medical students complete geriatric-medicine rotations. The center hosts an accredited geriatric-medicine fellowship and leads research into age-related conditions. EVMS also has a combined internal medicine/geriatric medicine residency program that prepares physicians-in-training to care for an aging population. Such a return on her investment gives Mrs. Ferguson reason to smile. “The Glennan Center has been a success,” Mrs. Ferguson says. “I’m proud of what it’s doing for older people — they’re the ones who touch my heart.” 2012 EVMS Fund supports key needs across campus Scholarships, faculty recruitment, curriculum development and simulation programs were among the key initiatives to benefit from the 2012 EVMS Fund. The yearly fund-raising drive provides support for important areas throughout the school and emerging needs throughout the year. For the fiscal year that ended June 30, it raised $1,154,000. “The EVMS Fund is a very important piece of the school’s yearly budget,” said Denise Milisitz, Director of Annual Giving. “It gives leadership, particularly the provost, the flexibility to capitalize on new opportunities and needs that arise though the fiscal year. Support for the EVMS Fund really allows us to be a progressive organization.” Important areas supported by the 2012 fund included: n $200,000 in Dean’s Scholarship Alliance for Diversity Scholarship support that provides $40,000 for graduates of Historically Black Universities and Colleges. n Relocation to campus of the Art Therapy program’s studio and the offices of the Ophthalmic Technology program n New faculty in the School of Health Professions and the Department of Physiological Sciences n Funding to create a comprehensive medical ultrasound curriculum and to enhance educational components in pharmacology and physiology. n Expanded the number of small groups to meet growing class size Michael Glennan, Mrs. Ferguson’s grandfather, owned The Norfolk Virginian prior n New equipment in our research labs to its merger with another local paper, The Pilot. He served as Vice President of the new organization, The Virginian-Pilot Publishing Company.

EVMS MagazinE issue 5.1 www.evms.edu 39 yoursupport

Local family pledges $1 Million to diabetes research

Norfolk resident Richard M. The gift from Mr. Waitzer and his family — wife Leah Waitzer and his sons have W. Waitzer and sons Edwin S. Waitzer, Bradley J. Waitzer and Scott D. Waitzer — will establish the Murray H. made a $1 million pledge to Waitzer Endowed Chair for Diabetes Research. Murray Eastern Virginia Medical School Waitzer had to take daily insulin doses throughout his life to control his Type 1 diabetes. to support diabetes research “I have been very impressed by the people at EVMS, in honor of Mr. Waitzer’s late and I know the work they’re doing is so worthwhile,” says Richard Waitzer, whose grandfather and older brother father. also had diabetes. “I hope this gift will lead to further understanding of this disease and hopefully, someday, a cure.” Murray Waitzer was born in New York to poor Russian immigrants but was a talented, energetic entrepreneur who went on to found two wholesale drug companies, the first in Washington, D.C., and a second, Murray Wholesale Drug Corp, in Norfolk. He raised three children and loved spending time with them, as well as his grandchildren, says Richard Waitzer, who was his youngest child. Murray Waitzer died at 71 in 1971 of heart failure that may have been linked to diabetes. The disease also damaged his eyesight. “My dad would do anything for his family,” Richard Waitzer remembers. “He just spent a lot of time with me and then later with my boys. He was at every one of their games, cheering them on. He loved watching sports, fishing and traveling — he really enjoyed life. He was a great man, and it’s an honor for my family to give this gift in his name.” Richard Waitzer, 79, graduated with a physics degree from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pa., and worked in the wholesale drug business for more than 20 years before establishing a private real estate development firm in 1966. He now is President of M&R Realty Corp. and Vice President of Signature Management Corp, the former a development company and the latter its management arm. Both are headquartered in Virginia Beach and specialize Murray Waitzer in commercial and multi-family real estate. Mr. Waitzer’s three sons work with him and also develop properties for their own accounts. In addition, Mr. Waitzer is a patron of local arts who serves on the boards of the Virginia Symphony, the Virginia Symphony Foundation and the Chrysler Museum of Art.

40 EVMS MagazinE issue 5.1 www.evms.edu toyourhealth

Helping you breathe easier EVMS Puullmmonaarryy and Critical Care Mediicciinne physsiicciiaanns ddiiagnnoossee aannd manage pullmmoonary (lung) problems. They ussee patiieent history, physsiiccal examination and testintingg susucch as pulmonary function to investigattee pullmmoonaarry ddiiseeaassee,, critical illllness aannd slleeeepp disorders.

What’s involved in a pulmonary function test? The test measures how well the lungs take in and release air and how well they move gases such as oxygen from the atmosphere into the body’s circulation. During the testing, a trained respiratory therapist will ask you to breathe into an instrument called a spirometer. Why would I need to have this test done? A pulmonary function test is helpful to diagnose lung problems such as asthma, emphysema or bronchitis and to help find the cause of unexplained shortness of breath or chronic cough. The test can help your physician evaluate your fitness for surgery, assess the effects of prescription medications and measure progress in disease treatment. Do I need a referral? Yes. How long does it take? The test takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Why should I have the test done at EVMS? The EVMS pulmonary function test lab is conveniently located in Williams Hall, near other physician offices and close to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital. It is close to an HRT bus stop and the light rail station. We work to schedule your test as quickly as possible at a time convenient to you. What happens once the test is done? EVMS pulmonary physicians interpret your test results and send a report to your doctors with recommendation about further testing or treatment. You can also request a copy of your results. For more information, call 757.446.8920.

EVMS MagazinE issue 5.1 www.evms.edu 41 inFocus

1 Photos of MD Alumni Reunion, Homearama, new medical residents, environmental safety presentation, CINCH breastfeeding awards ceremony and Remote Area Medical clinic.

2

5

6

VISIT www.flickr.com/photos/evms to view more photos from these and other EVMS events.

42 EVMS MagazinE issue 5.1 www.evms.edu inFocus

3 4

1. Courtney Kerr, left, Director of Environmental Health and Safety and President of the national Campus Safety Health and Environmental Management Association (CSHEMA), presents former Provost and Dean Gerald J. Pepe, PhD, with the CSHEMA “Campus Leaders Who Care" award for his support of environmental stewardship and health and safety issues.

2. CINCH, the Consortium for Infant and Child Health, recently honored 17 organizations for their support of breastfeeding mothers. Among the recipients was the Navy and Marince Corps Intelligence Center, represented by Commanding Officer Capt. William Kotheimer. With him, at left, is C.W. Gowen, MD, Interim Chair of Pediatrics, and EVMS Provost and Dean Richard V. Homan, MD. EVMS is the lead organzation for CINCH.

3. Graduates and spouses from the Class of 1977 pose for a photo at the MD Alumni reunion.

4. Former classmates Jean Massie, left, and Betty Bibbins catch up at the MD Alumni reunion in August. They joined a number of fellow graduates 7 from the Class of 1982. 8 5. A new crop of residents arrived at EVMS in July. Among the new physician-in-training are residents at Portsmouth Family Practice. From left are EVMS graduates Jessica Bernens, MD, and David Deeley, MD, along with Megan Germscheid, DO, William Mollenkopf, MD, Jessica Andrews, MD, and Elizabeth Cochran-Ward, MBBS.

6. The EVMS Healthy House is one of eight homes on display at the fall 2012 Homearama at East Beach in Norfolk. The event runs Oct. 13-28.

7. Team EVMS was on hand again this year at the Remote Area Medical (RAM) Clinic in Southwest Virginia, one of the nation’s largest free clinics. The EVMS volunteers -- including faculty, students and staff working in diabetes and ophthalmology -- saw hundreds of patients during the weekend event in July.

8. Richard Griffey, MD Class of 1997, and his wife, Julia, enjoy a look through an old yearbook during the MD alumni reunion.

EVMS MagazinE issue 5.1 www.evms.edu 43 P.O. Box 1980 Norfolk, VA 23501-1980

Change Service Requested

OUR MISSION: Eastern Virginia Medical School is an academic health center dedicated to achieving excellence in medical and health professions education, research and patient care. We value creating and fostering a diverse and cohesive faculty, professional staff and student body as the surest way to achieve our mission. Adhering to the highest ethical standards, we will strive to improve the health of our community and to be recognized as a national center of intellectual and clinical strength in medicine.

EvEry challEngE is an opportunity.

As a leader in health care, we’re known for our innovative research, dedication to teaching and commitment to patient care. Now, we’re challenging you. Give to the EVMS 20 Twenty Capital Campaign with a gift that supports the construction of the Education and Research Building and renovations to Lewis Hall, the Edward E. Brickell Medical Sciences Library and the Strelitz Diabetes Center through May 2013, and for every $2 you contribute, $1 more will be donated by The Mary Community Focus. Morton Parsons Foundation—up to $200,000. World Impact. Together, we can improve EVMS and improve the health of Hampton Roads. www.evmsfoundation.com We’re healthier because you’re here.

Increase the impact of your gift, thanks to The Mary Morton Parsons Foundation 2-- for 1 Challenge Grant. Give generously by visiting www.EVMSfoundation.com today.